ADCU challenges Bolt’s evidence for national standards, demanding stronger rights and protections
- Perry Richardson
- Sep 23
- 2 min read
The App Drivers & Couriers’ Union (ADCU) has issued a strong response to Bolt’s evidence submission to the Transport Select Committee, warning that any move towards national standards in private hire licensing must not come at the expense of drivers’ rights, safety, or public confidence.
In its written evidence, Bolt urged the Government to formalise national standards, simplify fragmented licensing processes and modernise outdated rules such as mandatory physical offices and paper documentation. The operator also defended cross-border hiring, arguing it is a “practical necessity” for passenger connectivity and does not compromise safety.
ADCU President Cristina-Georgiana Ioanitescu cautioned that reforms framed around consistency and efficiency could weaken protections if they do not first address what she described as “falling earnings, excessive working hours, and bogus self-employment”. She argued that drivers’ livelihoods are deteriorating, with mileage rates unchanged in a decade despite rising inflation.
Ioanitescu said: "Any new framework must start with fair pay, stronger regulation of the market and real improvements to drivers’ daily working lives. Our members' earnings are falling year by year. The mileage rates being paid by the app companies haven't been reviewed for ten years, despite rising inflation and the cost-of-living crisis, so drivers are having to work longer and longer hours make a decent living, a situation made worse by the bogus and forced self-employment of PHV drivers."
The union is calling for the introduction of a minimum fare and a cap on new private hire licences. It says this is necessary to reduce over-supply, tackle congestion and ensure drivers are able to earn a living without working dangerously long hours. ADCU also supports restrictions on new vehicle licences as part of wider environmental goals.
On passenger and driver safety, the union insists that CCTV must become mandatory in all private hire vehicles. While Bolt’s evidence suggested councils could be supported to adopt CCTV schemes, ADCU argues that leaving it optional will not go far enough. The union also calls for strict enforcement against operators exploiting weaker licensing regimes through cross-border hiring. This includes the use of licence revocation powers where rules are breached.
ADCU has gone further in linking licensing reform to employment rights. It says compliance with employment law should be made a condition of operator licensing, meaning firms that deny drivers’ rights to fair pay or protections could lose their licence to operate.
The contrasting positions highlight a growing divide between operators and driver unions. Bolt wants simplification of a system it describes as “administratively complex and fragmented”, while ADCU stresses that reforms must start with driver pay, conditions, and safety standards.
The debate will now form part of the Transport Select Committee’s inquiry into the taxi and private hire sector, with policymakers set to weigh up how far reforms should prioritise efficiency, consistency, workers’ rights, or passenger protections.
